The Decorating Trap

Posted by Kristin Abraham Feb 7, 2007

So, if you've been following along you know that I'm redecorating my condo. I bought the place last April and really didn't do anything right away. I painted the master bath and master bedroom and that was about it. And then around Christmas I decided my financial situation was okay and I began ordering and buying and planning in earnest. I was so excited about the upcoming decorating projects it was all I could think about on my vacation.

When I got home from vacation I began the painting process. First the master bath (New Technique). The first paint choice was a mistake - which is ok, it's only paint. Then the office, which turned out really well (Pretty in Pink). Then the office needed shelves which I enlisted best friend Kevin's help for. And the whole doorknob ordeal. Okay, so maybe the snowballing started with the doorknobs and the hinges. Hindsight is 20/20, right? So, I can see that now. Well, $200 on doorknobs and hinges and that was the beginning of the spiral.

Decorators, painters, designers, builders; we all know about the decorating spiral. And a few savvy home owners know about it too. You decorate or paint one thing and suddenly everything else looks a bit drab or out dated and the "to do list" just keeps getting longer and longer and longer.

So, I have now decided that the rescued fouton (Fouton Grab) just won't do in this room and I need to buy a sleeper chair and then an ottoman that has storage. And of course then the room needs bedding, window treatments, rugs, and I probably need more books for all those bookcases we built. And as I looked at the nice new Pergo floors (Installing Hardwood Laminate Floor) I realized that I want to do the entire second floor in Pergo. So I have ordered the rest of the floor. Which of course means the remaining carpet in the condo needs replacing.

In the meantime I've moved to the kitchen. I'm repainting 3 of the 5 walls and then, in an attempt to save money, I've decided to paint my cabinets rather than reface or replace them. And I already purchased a new rug but I could use a runner and an entry one that matches. And of course there are window treatments. And as I look at the remaining paint jobs I think they look drab and a bit beat up, and the previous painter didnt paint the vents which now stand out so maybe I need to repaint those rooms as well.

And the window treatments in the living room. And painting all the trim in the entire house. Oh! And the basement. I've just got to redo the basement and create an art/craft room down there. And fix the laundry. And make some storage areas. And maybe make a spare bedroom. And...and...and...down I go into the decorating spiral.